A Simple & Romantic Fall Picnic that Reflects the Season

Having quality one-on-one time is something my husband and I have struggled with since having children. But recently, the girls had a slumber party at gramma and paps house. I knew I wanted to do something special for Justin to remind him amid the busy schedules and honey-do-lists, he is still my number one.

Summer picnics are a ton of fun, but I prefer a picnic when its cooler. The truth is I prefer cooler days to HOT days all the time. When Summer begins to turn to Fall I throw parties! Fall is such a beautiful time to be sitting outside taking in all that nature has to offer. The colors, the smells, the sounds. Truly, I’m just not sure if there is anything better than being outside in the Fall. So when I saw that the weather was finally giving us a break from the heat, I knew we would be having a Fall picnic in the garden.

For this picnic, I put a little more thought and effort into the preparations. I dropped the girls off and spent the next day thinking about how I could turn a simple Fall picnic into something Justin would appreciate. He is generally easy to please, but regardless I wanted to work a bit harder to create a romantic Fall picnic for the two of us.

The Backdrop

Like I mentioned before, the weather was beautiful. Eating in the garden almost seemed like the only option for such a beautiful evening. From the place we put our boho style garden table we have a perfect view of the garden in all its splendor, and the pond in all it’s peace. It doesn’t matter which way your facing. From that spot, we are surrounded by creation.

Creation is the most gorgeous backdrop ever created. It inspires and calms simultaneously. Maybe that’s why I love picnics so much in general? The setting is always perfectly decorated without me having to touch a thing.

Fall Picnic Table Setting

This was our first official picnic since I built the new DIY boho style garden table. I’m discovering it’s a little small but for the 2 of us, it’s perfect! Maybe I’ll build an extension or a completely new table that is larger for picnics with the four of us? Who knows?! But for two of us, this table worked great!

For this table setting, I knew I wanted to keep it simple. The goal was to create a seamless flow between what nature was providing and the picnic. Isn’t simplicity beautiful in and of itself? So often I find that simple things are actually more beautiful than the complex.

Fall Picnic Table Setting-Foundation

I threw a pretty Fall blanket down as a “tablecloth”. But the truth is I don’t mind if this table gets food spilled on it. So, I placed the blanket diagonal to leave one end of the table exposed. I like the texture that the blanket adds, but I also love the rustic and worn feel of the table. By placing the blanket this way I was able to experience both of them.

It’s not a traditional way to create a table setting, but it was the way that felt best for the goal of this Fall picnic. By exposing the weathered wood I was able to reflect the tree trunks, and dead/dried flowers and grasses surrounding us. By adding the blanket I was able to pull from the beautiful colors in the Golden Rod, and the leaves.

Fall Picnic Table Setting-Ambiance

I then added my favorite candlestick holders. I grabbed these candlestick holders at a garage sale my parents had a few years ago, and I’m so glad I did! I absolutely love them! Their color. Size. Character. They are perfect for me and the style I love so much. I also added a few votives for a little extra flicker. These candlesticks and votives create an extremely romantic feeling. I love the way the sticks melt and develop long drips of wax below.

When I started taking these shots I just let the candles do their thing. Oh, my word! They were wild and free! Again, these candles seemed to fit perfectly right in the middle of nature for this Fall picnic.

Fall Picnic Table Setting-Floral Touches

I picked the flowers up from Rustik Market for my Fall Home décor and decided they were perfect for this dinner date. I love the way flowers enhance the romance in a space, but I didn’t want anything large and intrusive. I wanted to be able to carry on an uninterrupted (Wait what was that? UNINTERRUPTED!! haha!) conversation without my line of sight being obstructed by a large bouquet.

I know this isn’t something I generally do. Normally I’m all about the flowers stealing the show. But for this Fall picnic, I wanted all my attention to be on the man sitting across from me. Besides, he isn’t into flowers as much as I am. So, the sacrifice was an easy one to make!

Finger Food

In my boho garden picnic post I told you I don’t like to make multiple trips back to the house to get everything we need out to the table. Well, the dinner I decided to prepare for Justin was right in line with that train of thought.

One of his favorite finger foods is soft pretzels and cheese. When we go to a sports game, the zoo, a concert, and even a restaurant, soft pretzels are always an option for him. Since I wanted to make this dinner date special, I thought I’d attempt to make some homemade soft pretzels. (These were the first soft pretzels I’ve ever made and I’m keeping the recipe because Justin loved them!)

But pretzels couldn’t be the only thing we had for dinner. So I threw together a charcuterie board of grapes, our favorite cheeses, and meats to complement the pretzels and beer cheese. It was a wonderful meal; light, yet filling.

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I’m not sure that’s true, but I figure why take the chance just in case huh?

Final Touch-Music

The only thing left was the music. You could say music doesn’t reflect nature, and to a certain degree, I could agree with that. But I couldn’t agree completely. When I step outside in the peace of the morning I hear the birds singing, the leaves rustling as the wind brushes through them. In the evening I hear the sound of the crickets playing their violins, and the scampering of creators running from one tree to another over crackling leaves. It sounds like some of the most amazing music I’ve ever heard.

Lately, Justin and I have been enjoying a station called AlexRainbirdMusic. It’s indie-folk and we love it. Most of the songs are less mainstream so we get to find new favorites! The other nice thing about these videos is that they are 1-1.5hrs of uninterrupted music.

In my post on time management, I said the best way to avoid wasting time is to set goals and then determine the tasks required to reach the goal. Turns out that method works when you’re preparing a romantic yet simple fall picnic that reflects the season!

I hope you get to spend some time outside soaking in all that creation gives. When we still ourselves, I believe we can receive so much from simply sitting in the middle of creation.

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Open Your Door,
Aliya